


Another Coffee Shop?

by rayonfrozenwings



Series: renee celebrates 1K (on tumblr) by writing from follower prompts [3]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff so far, but potential for angst, coffee shop AU, i cant help but start stories, i dont know where this is going of if its a chance encounter, i just need to finish them, renee celebrates 1k
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-27 22:36:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16711321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayonfrozenwings/pseuds/rayonfrozenwings
Summary: Sorry I suck at titles. But yes its a coffee shop AU.This is for Bluebellflames' prompt on tumblr as a part of my 1K celebration.Prompt: Rowaelin Coffee Shop AU.It feels like the start of something but I get bored easily. So at the moment its just the start. it may or may not go anywhere.





	Another Coffee Shop?

**Another Coffee Shop?**

 

Acrid and creamy the smell of the beans grinding sent up that delicious scent that drifted throughout the coffee shop and out the window. Pulling in unsuspecting zombies off the street for their fix. Couldn’t they see how this whole place was a trap. A trap made with pastries, locally roasted coffee beans and hot tattooed men making the coffees. It was no wonder that  _ Havana _ had managed to carve out a niche in the market. The inner city was the perfect place for disposable income to be spent. She had been watching from across the street for an hour now, watching as the regulars piled in and grabbed their to-go coffee. The staff didn’t even smile. Either the coffee was that good, or the staff's moods added to the aesthetic. 

Celeana had been watching and waiting. This was the perfect location for her to get a job before her classes started. It was across the city from her campus but close to her tiny apartment. She had also noticed that as she watched that the clients were not young and in jeans and t-shirts. They had jobs, it was an eclectic mix of grunge and punk styles throughout the day mixed with the corporate world zombies at break times. High heels and immaculate hair and nails. Lining up and leaving before their next meeting, the vintage band tees and black denim patrons still enjoying their coffees. If she managed to persuade the owner to hire her then at least she wouldn’t have to deal with her peers “popping in” to see her. She liked everything on her own terms.   

The only thing she wasn’t sure of was how many staff there were. The staff wanted sign had been up for a week and she was only now getting the courage to go in after scouting, to see if it might be a place she wanted to work. So far there was the owner who popped down when they seemed to have a rush, oozing charm towards all the worker bees with red smiles so much like her own. She would be the one Celeana needed to impress. The silver haired man with tattoos and striking eyebrows made the coffee and a couple of guys were out back. She couldn’t tell if there were any other women. Maybe Celeana wouldn’t stand a chance and she only hired handsome males. 

She sighed and stood, smoothing down her black jeans and black t-shirt, trying hard to look like she already worked there. A woman click-clacked past her, coffee in hand. 

“Is the coffee good from there?” Celeana asked before the woman could get too far away.

“Oh it’s the best, but sometimes there are other reasons to come here too.” and she grinned with a spiders smile and walked back down the street. 

Celeana watched her go until she turned a corner and was out of sight. Thinking over what she said. Nothing else seemed to be coming to her. She glanced back at the green building and picked up her backpack. It was now or never. 

\---

 

The bell above the door jingled and Rowan looked up from making the espresso. Standing there was this pimpsqueak in black with blonde hair braided back. A confusing mix he wasn't entirely used to seeing at work. Maybe at one of the clubs he went to but not where he worked. He looked back at his coffee as Fenrys came out from the back room. 

“Hey! Are you looking for something? Maybe I can help?” Fenrys called to the girl, Rowan could tell he was putting on the charm without even turning his head. The permanently etched smile came out in his words, in the way he leaned forward over the counter, arm muscles bunching up. It was a routine Fenrys had down pat. 

“Well, that depends,” Rowan looked back up at this girl, her voice seemed a lot older than he had assumed her age to be, he could feel his eyebrow quirking up as he continued to listen while trying his best to be aloof and apart from the conversation. Luckily he had had years of practise.

“I think,” she paused and touched her finger to her lip, “you might not actually... be the person I’m looking for.” 

Rowan couldn’t help but smile at this, she had so subtly turned him down that Fenrys would be wondering if he heard her right. Not laughing or giving himself away was taking all his will power.

“I was actually... talking about the coffee, but if you change your mind i’m sure I can find a way to accommodate your needs.” Fenrys had stood taller now and was reaching for the pen and a piece of paper to write down the order, realising when to move on. Rowan knew Fenrys was more handsome and personable than himself, it’s why Rowan made the coffee or roasted the beans. And although Fenrys was a good friend it was always nice to have new material to pull him back down to Rowan and Lorcan’s level.  

“So do you know what you want?” he said shortly. Fenrys had a different sort of smile now, the one that cut through people rather than made them warm to him. The girl grinned back like she had finally found something she was looking for.

“Actually…” she used her words deliberately, in spreading out the word at the end exactly the way he had said it, “I want a job.” and reaching into her bag she pulled out what looked to be a C.V. 

“Ahh well then you better try and charm Rowan because I’m not really meant to take those.” he gestured his hands at her as he said it. In fact the last time Fenrys had taken a C.V or two they never quite made it to Maeve’s office, Rowan suspected he took the phone numbers of the pretty girls trying his luck, either that or he just didn’t want them to get the job. It didnt matter the C.V.'s never made it past the counter. Rowan looked to the girl again and said, 

“I just need to take this upstairs and then I’ll be right back.” 

She smiled nicely at him, a very different smile to the one that she had given Fenrys. He walked up the narrow staircase, his arms bumping the flyers attached to the walls on either side. They never managed to fill the spot for long, the girls would either hate Maeve, or one of the boys. If it wasn’t hate then it was love. Lorcan had slept with the last girl, and broken her heart. So much so that she had tried to set fire to the back door of the coffee shop one night. Maeve lost it. She had no job to come back to. The boys also had a stern talking to about appropriateness in the workplace and unnecessary insurance claims. 

The office was warm, the summer heat becoming stuffy and stagnant in the upstairs room. 

“Here’s your coffee.” he said as he placed it on her desk, then he lingered by the chair facing it. 

“What else?” her polished voice was like that of a queen, even in this place.

Maeve was not one to mince words and Rowan never liked to hang around too long by himself, he just felt uneasy. 

“We have a girl downstairs with her C.V., should I take it or tell her we aren’t looking?” 

She raised her head from her paperwork, “But we are looking.” 

“I know we are looking, but she seems young and she’s already antagonising Fenrys.”

“Maybe I should hire her for that alone.”

Rowan frowned slightly, he couldn't always keep the expression off his face. There was something more to Maeve and Fenrys and he didn't want to look too closely at it. He knew he wouldn’t like what he saw. 

“Did you want to come down?”

“No.”

Rowan waited for her to give further instructions but she didn’t. She just ignored him waiting for her. 

“So I guess I should talk to her?” he asked.

“If you think that’s wise, we do need a new staff member, especially before school goes back, you know the grad students find their way here.” she laughed, “they need the strong stuff.”

Rowan smiled a little and walked back the way he had come. 

 

__   
  


Celeana had been waiting and watching for what felt like forever, the darkened stairs behind the counter feeling like a portal to another world. What was she getting herself into. Neither of the staff had taken her C.V. so she was left holding it next to the counter while everyone was sipping their coffees. Luckily not too many were “people watching” like she had been doing to them earlier. The blonde charmer had vanished out the back and “Rowan” had gone upstairs. Not exactly the best way to serve customers, but maybe he wouldn’t be too long. 

She continued to look around the space and saw the third man who worked here, he must be on his break because the giant in the corner was talking to a brunette over lunch. He had been ignoring her but as soon as she started paying attention to him he tilted his head towards her and narrowed his eyes. Celeana decided the best grin to throw him would be the same one she gave the blonde. He shook his head and went back to his meal, ignoring her as well as he could.

“It would be a good idea not to annoy Lorcan before even starting here.” the deep brogue came from behind her - she hadn’t noticed his accent before.

“I didn’t realise I was.” she said with mock innocence, turning around quickly and giving him her dazzling smile, teeth shining bright rather than the one that seemed to annoy the other men. 

“Mmm-hmm.” he held out his hand to take her C.V. which she gladly did because the longer she held it the more she was regretting her decision to be here.

“Have you done this before?” he asked.

“Talking to people? Getting a job? Which part exactly?” she couldn’t help but point out the vagueness of his question. He rubbed his fingers across his eyebrows. Flicking through the pages and seeing the experience and the school aspirations and the local address at the back. 

“How often could you work if you are starting school soon?” he looked to her directly now, green eyes piercing her own blue and gold.

“I don’t know, I’m still figuring this all out, But I need a job, and I’m a fast learner, and I like coffee and chocolate and pastries - this seemed like a great idea earlier in the week.” her honesty seemed to catch him off guard. He looked at her again, his stance changing. Like he was making a very important decision. She smiled at him again.

“Don't do that.”

“Do what?”

“Smile like that, just be yourself.” he said. 

She was trying to figure out how he knew that it was her pretend smile, her “I want you to think i'm nice and sweet smile”. It's like she was an open book before him. This could be a problem. It was a lot easier when people believed the lie you told them. So she wiped the smile from her face completely and stood like she normally would, legs slightly apart, ready to exit the room if she needed.

“Better.” he mumbled and then let out a deep sigh, “Would you do a trial period? We need someone on the front counter, Especially for the morning rush. Maybe if it fits around your schedule that would work? And If not then, it’s a trial and no harm done?” 

She could see he was thinking of so many things at once, things she herself had thought about but knew she would have to organise on her own. This was all going a lot better than expected. She had another 3 weeks before classes started and if she had the job sorted then it was one less thing to worry about. 

“Sounds great - I’m Celeana by the way.” and she offered him her hand to shake it. He looked through her again eyes turning cold.

“You might want to proof-read your C.V.  _ Celeana... _  in here it says Aelin.” He held it up again, “unless you want me to give this back to you and you can bring me another one. I don't really care what you are called, but I think the owner might. I don’t particularly like being lied to though” his head tilted slightly, and Aelin could feel someone coming up behind her. 

“Fine call me Aelin, I’m still getting used to the change.” she rushed quietly. 

“Lorcan meet our newest employee - Aelin.” Rowan said a little louder so the shadow behind her could hear. 

“Can she even reach the shelves?” Lorcan said staring down at her small frame. 

“I’m sure I can climb them if I need to.” she retorted.

Lorcan grinned, “She’ll fit in fine here, I’m going out for lunch.” he said.

“You just had lunch! We have another rush coming through in about 40 minutes!”

“Well then, I guess you will have to see if your newbie is a fast learner, I have a date.” and he walked out of the store following the brunette. The bell still ringing after they had gone.         
  



End file.
